File-holder



(No Model.)

FILE HOLDER. N0.'259,994. PatentedJunezmlaaz.

" f. ll

01H. BABBITtl.v

t UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

. CHARLES H. BABBITT, OF COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA.

FILE-HOLDER.

'SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No.259,994, dated June 27, 1882. Application filed January 18, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES H. BABBITT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Council Bluffs, in the county of Pottawattalnie and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in File-Holders, of `which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

which are used for ling away papers, such as bills and others which have been Written upon; and the object of myimprovement is to provide a novel combination of devices which .shall constitute a iile for papers which will receive such papers and protect them from loss and from undue Wear. I attain this object by the mechanism and the combinations thereof illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichrm i Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, showing the base or bottomfof the device, av series of papers placed thereon, a board or plate for covering said papers, bands passing through slots formed 'in the base or bed, and a shaft or rod around which the bands are Wound for the purpose of tightening them. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section, showing the position of the parts and the method of tightening the bands. Fig. 3 is a perspective view, showing the base or bed ofthe device, the slot in the center thereof, a plate of metal upon one of its ends for holding the shaft or rod in position, and the bands for tightening the papers and holding them in position on the bed. Fig. 4. is a perspective view of a portion of the base or bed, showing a plate of metal attached thereto, and having in it a square aperture through which this winding shaftv or rod passes and Fig. 5 is a detached view of a portion of the shaft or rod around which the bands are wound, one of the slots through which a band passes being shown in it.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throngl1 out the several views.

Various methods have heretofore been adopted for fastening papers, such as bills, memorandums, and others which have been written uponand thus made valuable; but all such with which I am familiar have been found ob- Amade of any other suitable material.

jectionable on account of their ineciency, complication, and cost of construction, or on account of the time required in placing the papers therein and securing them in position.

- by the expenditure of the least possible period v Myinvcntion relates to that class of devices of time.

In constructing devices of this' type I provide a bottom plate or bed, A, which may be of Wood of the required thickness, and of such length and Width as to receive upon its upper surface the papers which it is desirable to place thereon for preservation and protection. This bed or bottom, however, may be made of sheet or other metal, and'have upon its edges downwardly-projecting anges, or it may be Whatever the material out ot' which it is made, it is .to have at its central portion an aperture, B, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3. This aperture serves a twofold purpose: First, it makes 'papers placed thereon more difficult of removal, as its edges form resting-places for such papers when pressed down thereon; and it also servesas a space in which the bands C C' can be moved, and the rod or'shaft D, they passing thereto through slots formed in the sides of the bed. For the purpose of clamping the papers or of holding them rmly upon the surface of the bed A the shaft or rod D,just alluded to, is provided, it being round for the greater portion of its length, and having its bearings in the end portions of the vbed vA, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This shaft orrod is provided at the proper points Within the slot B with apertures Dl D, through which the bands C C are passed in such a manner that when the shaft or rod is turned they will be drawn downupon-any papers that are placed on the bed, their operation in this respect being clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

For the purpose of making provision for holding the bands in contact with the papers, or with aplate of wood, metal, or other material placed thereon, the shaft or rod D is made square, or of such other form as will prevent it from turning around in the plate of metal A',

IOO

attached to bed A, the arrangement being such that when the shaft D is pushed inwardly to its full extent the square portion thereof will enter or be within the aperture in said plate, and thus prevent said shaft or rod from turning. When it is desirable to remove any one of the papers from the tile the shaft D is withdrawn far enough to cause its square por- *ion to pass out of plate A', as shown in Fig. 3, when by taking hold ofthe bands C C and pulling gently thereon the shaft will be rotated to such an extent as to leave the papers free from the downward pressure of said bands, and the required one or more may be readily removed, when by means of the knob formed on the end of the shaft it may be rotated in such a direction and manner as to rmly clasp the papers and hold them in place, when the shaft D is to be pushed inward to such an extent as to cause the square portion thereof to enter the aperture in plate A, as shown in Fig. l, by which means it will be prevented from turning so as to loosen the papers until it is again desired to be opened.

I have so far described my tile as consisting of a flat piece of material upon which the papers are to be placed, and proper mechanism for confining and relieving the papers when desirable; but it is apparent that bands or strips of metal or other substance may be sccured to one or both ofits ends and to its sides, and thus form an inclosure for the papers which would, to some extent, protect them from accumulations of dust and from view; but such an addition would not in any manner affect the other parts of the devices.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a file-holder, the combination of the slotted bed A, the longitudinally-tightening shalt or rod D, having near its outer end a polygonal or square section, a polygonal or square socket for the reception of the square portion of said rod, and bands C C', they being arranged for joint operation, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the longitudinally adjustable shaft or rod D, the socket Ain the end of the plate or bed A, bands G C', and thc binding-plate which rests upon the upper surface of the paper, all substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aflx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES H. BABBITT.

Witnesses:

D. P. HoLLoWAY, WM. BAGGER. 

